Read Dangerous Attachments (Dr. Sylvia Strange Book 1) for Free Online Page B

his good hand. His fingers moved to his forehead, and he tried to force a smile.
"Sueños
. . . dreams, but it seemed so real." He held up his bandaged paw.
    The door opened, and two C.O.s moved Angel's gurney down a ramp to a waiting van. Rosie watched the double doors slam on the vehicle when Angel was safely stowed away. As she turned and walked toward the stairs, she thought, it ain't over 'til the fat lady sings. Too bad there weren't any fat ladies doing time in Main.
    T HE METAL SCRAPED and groaned and Sylvia jumped as the interior gate in Main's corridor slid open.
    "Hey, Robot, how's it going?" Sylvia smiled at the balding, middle-aged man. Like so many inmates, Emilio Rodríguez had earned a special name in the joint; among the prison population, it was more real than the one on his birth certificate. In his case, the moniker resulted naturally from his mechanical, dronelike gait, and his reputation as a cold-blooded killer.
    "Hey, Dr. Strange. It's going. How about yourself?" Robot waved his dust rag.
    Sylvia raised an eyebrow and smiled. For Robot, the greeting was effusive; he was clearly pleased about something. "I'm all right."
    She braced for the heavy clang of the metal gate as it snapped shut behind her. She'd interviewed Robot several times, by court order, and she liked him—althoughshe'd never turn her back on the man. He had an eighth-grade education, the median for inmates, but he was quick, and he had a sense of humor. He was also an acknowledged kleptomaniac. After one session, he'd actually escaped with her reading glasses; she still didn't know how he'd managed that trick.
    "Don't leave that necklace lying around," Robot said with a wink.
    "If I lose it, I'll know where to find it. See you later, Robot." Sylvia laughed. She was through the second metal gate and starting up the stairs when she almost collided with Rosie Sánchez hurrying from the bisecting hallway.
    "Hey," Sylvia said. "Sorry I'm late, but I couldn't find a locksmith who actually kept business hours."
    Rosie smiled. "Your timing is perfect. Why a locksmith?"
    "A sticky dead bolt at the house."
    The two women took the stairs together; Sylvia slowed her stride to match the shorter step of Sánchez. Neither spoke until they reached Rosie's office.
    "Coffee?" Rosie asked.
    "Sure."
    Rosie was petite, only topping five feet by an inch or so, but stiletto heels added another three inches. Bottled copper strands were artfully woven into a thick head of dark-brown tresses.
    She poured two cups of viscous fluid from Mr. Coffee, opened two packets of Cremora, and dropped one into each cup. "I know you take it black, but this is industrial strength."
    The heat in the office was off and the temperature had dropped a good ten degrees. Rosie flipped on lights,removed a notebook from a square vinyl chair, and motioned for Sylvia to sit. At almost the same instant, the phone rang.
    Rosie perched on the metal desk and cupped the receiver to her ear. "Rosie Sánchez." Immediately, she recognized the voice on the end of the line: Matt England. "Hey, kiddo, I was hoping you'd ring me back." She'd known England since he moved to New Mexico from Oklahoma eighteen years ago. "You guys at state police hate pen business, but I need your help." She crossed her legs, scribbled Mart's name on a Post-it, and held it out to Sylvia with an apologetic shrug.
    Sylvia scowled as the name returned a striking, weathered face to memory. Matt England had testified for the prosecuting attorney during a controversial murder trial. Malcolm had testified for the defense as an expert witness. England had made no effort to mask his dislike and distrust of psychologists during the trial. It was the typical bias of law enforcement: psychologists are psychos, just like their clients. Long after the defense won, England continued to give Malcolm the cold shoulder. More recently, England was a state's witness during the Allmoy trial. Once again, he had appeared for the prosecution